London (AFP) – Chloe Kelly said this was “what dreams are made of” after scoring the winning goal as England beat Germany 2-1 in the Euro 2022 final on Sunday
Kelly struck in extra time after Germany’s Lina Magull levelled 11 minutes from the end of 90 minutes.
Substitute Ella Toone’s sublime chip, in front of a record crowd for any European Championships match of 87,192 at Wembley, had put England in front.
Victory gave the England women a first major trophy and came just over 56 years to the day since the England men defeated the then West Germany to win the 1966 World Cup final at Wembley — the only other occasion when England have won one of football’s leading international tournaments.
Having fought back from an anterior cruciate ligament tear to be fit in time for the tournament, Kelly pounced when Germany failed to clear a corner in the 110th minute.
“It’s amazing, thank you everyone, this is what dreams are made of as a young girl watching women’s football,” Kelly told the BBC. “Wow, this is unbelievable.”
She added: “Thank you for everyone who played a part in my rehab. I always believed I’d be here, but to be here and score the winner, wow. These girls are amazing.”
This result meant England manager Sarina Wiegman had won back-to-back European Championships after guiding her native Netherlands to the 2017 title.
“We won the cup,” said Wiegman. “It is unbelievable. It is incredible.
“If you really want to win and become better every single day, that is what I have noticed and it is incredible, they (the England squad) want to do it together.”
Wiegman added: “We agreed on a couple of things about behaviour and they weren’t just words, we lived it.
“The game was so tight, there was a little bit of fight in there, but who cares, we won 2-1. We are European champions.”
